It was when Thierry Henry grabbed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a headlock that
the Arsenal teenager knew he was getting to grips with his trade at the
highest level.

It was before kick-off against Manchester United on Jan 22 at the Emirates, and Henry knew the world would be judging this precocious attacking midfielder.

“It was really my first start in a massive game,’’ recalled Oxlade-Chamberlain. “Just before we were walking out to the tunnel, Thierry put me in a headlock and whispered in my ear: ‘I’ve been watching you in training. You have a bit extra, so try to run at people. Don’t waste today. Take people on, show the world what you can do, work hard, work back.’ That gave me massive confidence.”

Arsenal lost 2-1 but Oxlade-Chamberlain shone. “Thierry took me to one side after the game, with a big smile, and said: ‘Well done. That’s what I was talking about.’ Growing up, Thierry was my hero. He used to try stuff and pull it off, fantastic stuff. I remember that goal he scored against Tottenham in 2002, ran though the whole team.

“When he came back to Arsenal, I was a bit shy and nervous for the first two weeks. He was sat two spots away, with Theo Walcott in the middle. It was surreal. After two or three weeks, I realised he was a human being, no different to me or anyone else, a nice guy. The main thing I learnt from him was his will to win. I was sat on the bench with him and he was shouting away. He’s been there, done everything, so for him to come back to Arsenal, where he’s already a legend, and still want to win shows what makes him such a good player.” They aim to mould good people as well as good players at Arsenal.

Resplendent in black tie, Oxlade-Chamberlain was talking at the Emirates on Thursday before attending Arsenal’s charity ball fund-raiser for their foundation and for Save the Children. Arsenal have long had a benevolent tendency, stretching back a century when they staged benefit matches for destitute families who lost loved ones in the sinking of the Titanic.

“They do everything here with a touch of class, from the way we try and play football to off the pitch,’’ Oxlade-Chamberlain said. “They are always doing events, visiting schools, charities. It’s the Arsenal ethos, helping others and being friendly. Whenever we have guests in to watch training, Arsène Wenger steps aside from the session, makes the effort to go over and stands there for half an hour chatting. Whenever anyone visits the training ground, all the boys make sure they go up to the guest, shake hands, introduce themselves. The same with fans if they come in the players’ lounge. I get on really well with the fans at Arsenal. It’s not hard to keep my feet on the ground at a place like Arsenal.

“I’m only 18, playing with world-class players who always remind me to keep working hard. Robin van Persie is very similar to Thierry. If we win and he’s played well, he’s never really happy with himself if he hasn’t scored. He always wants to score and to do better. That’s what makes him the best striker in the world. His ability on the ball is special.

“He’s very vocal off the pitch. The other day he pulled me aside and said: ‘Keep being patient, keep working hard, keep learning off all the boys and your time will come. When it does make sure you grab, it with two hands.’ That’s inspiration. I remember when he first came to Arsenal, he was in the team with Thierry and Dennis Bergkamp, you could see he was an unbelievable player but never the main man. He’s worked up and he’s the main man.

“Thomas Vermaelen is another really good character, a leader, another winner, always trains 110 per cent. I look up to Jack Wilshere. I watched him on Match of the Day last season and in the Champions League. For someone so young, he plays with so much maturity and his technical ability is unbelievable. He’s already world-class. He’s a very confident lad and at the same time quite quiet and humble.

“I look up to Theo Walcott. He’s a good role model, very focused, very humble, a good guy who helps me out a lot. Theo has a big part in the iPod in the dressing room. Wojciech Szczesny is the loudest. Definitely. Then Emmanuel Frimpong. Those two are never quiet. Alex Song is a massive character in the dressing room, singing and dancing, Bacary Sagna as well. They dance to any music. African music, dance music.

“I do a lot of the music. I’ve had to adapt my playlist because I had a few complaints from Robin and Vermaelen. They don’t like my R’n’B too much. They like more European style of music. The last song before we go out for the game is Ya Baby by Play & Win. Bacary introduced it. It’s a dance tune and everyone seems to like it.

“The manager is a very good communicator. If we’ve had a bad game or bad performance, and he can see everyone is down, he will leave it for the next day. Then he’ll go through it in depth. If he raises his voice, he picks his moment to get the right reaction out of the players.”

Good mentors guide Oxlade-Chamberlain from Wenger at Arsenal to the men overseeing his business affairs, Rob Segal and Aidy Ward at Impact Sports Management, to most significantly mother Wendy and father Mark, the former England winger. “I’ve seen a few videos of him but the quality isn’t as good as it is now.’’ Oxlade-Chamberlain smiled. “People said he was quite good. He tells me he was. Dad’s a friend. He was my under-11 coach at Southampton. We were playing at Tottenham once and he dragged me off because I wasn’t doing something right. I was crying on the sidelines. He wasn’t happy. He said: ‘You won’t be doing that again.’ And he was right.’

“He’s the one person whose opinion I really trust. He’s never been one of those dads to big me up. He’d say to me: ‘If you believe in yourself and work hard I believe you’ll get there and be very good.’ At Southampton I nearly got released and had two months to prove myself. Six months later I was in the first team.

“My mum’s a back-care specialist. She met my dad when she was doing physio at Port Vale when he was there. She’s overprotective at times. If I’ve ever got a bad knee, she’s double-checking. My mum always encouraged me to do my schoolwork. I did all my GCSEs, I got three Cs, five Bs, two As, and an A* – in PE! I missed some schoolwork once because of football. The teacher said: ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Hardly anyone makes it.’ All my mates told her: ‘He’s going to make it.’

“My mates used to try to wind me up for not coming out to parties, saying: “What’s wrong with you? You’re boring.’ But they respected I had to make sacrifices. My best friend Matt lives with me; he goes to Goldsmiths studying media. It’s good to have him round, get a few tips.”

This member of the media offered Oxlade-Chamberlain a tip. Make sure you shake Roy Hodgson’s hand after Arsenal’s game at West Brom. “I will do,’’ he grinned. “The Euros are a target for everyone. It’s every boyhood dream to play for your country. If I don’t go, I will carry on working hard and make sure it’s next time. I’ll be supporting whoever goes away with England. I know there’s a lot of really good players in this country, fighting for places.”

Sooner or later, his time will come, preferably in the centre. “I do enjoy it in the middle. For years, I played centre-mid, or No 10, like Bergkamp.” And inspired by Thierry Henry.

The Arsenal Foundation is a grant-making charity to help young people fulfil their potential through education and sport programmes. The charity will help grow the club’s long-standing commitment to their community. For further information visit www.arsenal.com/thearsenalfoundation.